La Liga: Barca Cannot Take Celta Vigo for Granted at Home

Barcelona vs Celta Vigo

Barcelona are back on top of La Liga and they’re keen on staying there longer by aiming to defeat Celta Vigo for more valuable points.

The Blaugrana are level with Los Blancos at 19 points apiece. However, they’re leading the pack because of goal difference so it means that there’s still more work to be done for Xavi’s side.

Their opponents in Celta Vigo are currently 11^th at the table with 10 points and once again they’re pushing for a top-half finish this season.

The pre-match SBOTOP betting odds are favouring Barcelona, but Celta Vigo have been their bogey team in recent years.

Celta Vigo would love nothing more than to put a dent in Barcelona’s title aspirations. The good thing for the Blaugrana, though, is that this game is not going to be played at Balaidos.

Talking Points

Barcelona getting it done on both ends

Since their goalless draw against Rayo Vallecano on the opening weekend of the 2022-23 campaign, Barcelona have won six league games on the bounce.

Xavi’s side has scored 19 goals as of this writing, but what’s even more remarkable is the fact that they haven’t conceded once in the league since their 4-1 beating of Real Sociedad.

The same can’t be said in their Champions League run so far, though, as they’re in danger to drop back into the Europa League after losing back-to-back Group C games against Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.

Still, Xavi should be commended for his work at the touchline especially since they are banged up. Their backline depth has been compromised with the absences of Andreas Christensen, Hector Bellerin, Jules Kounde, and Ronald Araujo.

Franck Kessie is the latest to pick up a knock and Memphis Depay’s status is still questionable.

It’s not all bad for the Blaugrana, though, as Frenkie de Jong is back training with the team while Ansu Fati and Alex Balde are both pushing to return to the side.

The Netherlands international might be inserted back into the starting XI assuming he’s 100-per cent fit, while veteran centre-back Gerard Pique is likely to deputise Andreas Christensen at centre-half.

Robert Lewandowski, Ousmane Dembele, and Raphinha will remain as their front three and all of them are capable of creating new La Liga 2022 highlights.

Iago Aspas to lead the line for Celta Vigo

Iago Aspas was given the night off in their 1-0 victory over Real Betis last week, so he’ll have fresher legs for this big Camp Nou showdown.

The evergreen striker has long been a scourge for Barcelona, scoring 10 goals in 15 appearances and he’ll look to haunt them once more.

Eduardo Coudet has built a side suited for Aspas to succeed as he surrounded the 35-year-old with a couple of Under-25 wingers who will get valuable experience from this upcoming fixture.

Oscar Rodriguez and Gabri Veiga have already opened their scoring accounts this season with three goals and one assist combined, while Jorgen Strand Larsen and Carles Perez are capable wing threats as well.

History

While it’s been established that Barcelona are the better team overall than Celta Vigo, it’s surprising to know that they’ve only won four of their last 10 matches with them in La Liga (D4, L2).

Celta Vigo claimed points in two of their last five away league games against Barcelona (W1, D1) after losing in seven of their previous nine visits at Camp Nou (W1, D1).

Their most recent matchup took place in May where the Blaugrana defeated Los Celestes 3-1 at Camp Nou as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang notched a brace and Memphis Depay added one, while Iago Aspas scored the consolation goal.

In terms of recent form, Barcelona have the clear edge as they’re enjoying a six-game winning streak in the league, whereas Celta Vigo have won three and lost two in their last five.

Betting Tip

Barcelona are highly rated in the updated La Liga 2022 odds. The Catalan giants are priced at 1.72, while a Celta Vigo triumph is installed at 7.60 and the likelihood of a draw is at 2.58 in the 1X2 market.

Since they’re fresh from a disappointing result against Inter Milan in the Champions League, Barcelona are eager to return to winning ways and they should be able to do so at home against Celta Vigo. While their recent encounters have yielded a bunch of goals, we feel that the visitors will find it harder to score at Camp Nou so we’re also recommending Total Goal 2-3 @ 2.11 for an alternative bet.

 

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